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A seed might be just starting out in the world, but it has already developed at least one scar. The seed scar, also called the hilum, is a small mark, usually an oval with a line at the center, that marks where the seed was once attached to the mother plant, just as a child has an umbilical scar, or belly button, where he was once attached to his mother. In a seed with a pointed tip, it is often a little nub at the point of the tip.

Check for Scars at Planting Time

The location of a seed scar is important at planting time when you want to give plants a head start. The root always emerges from the same side as the seed scar, so plant this end down. When roots emerge from seeds planted with the scar at the top, they have to circle around to the bottom of the seed to grow down in the right direction, a process called gravitropism, before the new shoot emerges from the seed.

About the Author

Patricia Hamilton Reed has written professionally since 1987. Reed was editor of the "Grand Ledge Independent" weekly newspaper and a Capitol Hill reporter for the national newsletter "Corporate & Foundation Grants Alert." She has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Michigan State University, is an avid gardener and volunteers at her local botanical garden.